(oh these titles). HPL's story is here of course. also the story Fishhead about a man with a special contact with the sea and Innsmouth head where a creature's head gives strange dreams. good stories. some of the other stories were a bit interesting, but nothing more. good pulp, not great. worth reading.

Like other books in this series, Robert Price has done a good job of bringing together a collection that covers the both hard to find Mythos classics like 'The Deep Ones' and more modern stories such as 'Live Bait'. Of course The Shadow Over Innsmouth is included to give new readers a foundation from which to jump into the other stories.

Some of the stories are great, but this book could have used one or two more stories. At 233 pages, it is one of the shortest books in the series. On top of this, the first two stories were pre-Lovecraft.

While it is interesting to read these Lovecraft inspirations, these stories along with Shodow, whioch most readers will already own, take up the first 88 pages.

Nevertheless I enjoyed nearly all the stories, most of which were new to me.

There are certain praises I have for this book, with its inclusively delightful incorporation of preLovecraftian influences in addition to the Lovecraftian influenced, and I have some complaints about it, too, the biggest of which deals with the number of stories and their length. (Its advertised as having "thirteen tales and three poems," but some of the "tales" are actually really short poems as well.) Still, its not a bad mixture of stories for any reader and it does deal with the Deep Ones, Dagon worshippers whose plight (and antics) pull on my heartstrings.

Random selections of some of the better beasts collected herein (not mentioning Shadows over Innsmouth because it doesn't need recognition) include:

The Harbor-Master, by Robert W. Chambers, one of "preLovecraftian" stories mentioned that actually merits a look not only because its a well-written piece but also because it shows where Lovecraft procured ideas for "The Innsmouth look" and Devil's Reef. I give it a five star rating.
Fishhead, by Irvin S. Cobb, is also another precursor to Shadows over Innsmouth that further illustrates the "Innsmouth Look." It is a strange look into the mentality of the public at the time, plus the mention Reelfoot Lake (I've lived near there and its frightening) sends a four and one-half star shiver down my spine.
The Deep Ones, by James Wade, described by the editor as "Lovecraft's version of flipper," is another piece that deserves recognition. Besides being a nice framework focusing on the 60's that deals with Innsmouth, that title alone gets it a jovial 4.5 star rating out of me.
and
The Innsmouth Head, by Franklyn Searight, an excellently written piece that warrants a pat on the creative back of the author by these hands. It poses the five-star question, "What do you do when fishing off of Devil's Reef and suddenly finding yourself hooking a bipedal reptilian?" which shouldn't be answered, "I keep its head and chuck the rest, of course!"

All in all, its a nice read because it shows how people, including Lovecraft, perceive words and then build upon previous thoughts in their own ways. Besides, Deep Ones need a little love (and sunglasses for those unblinking eyes), too.

As usual for the Chaosium series, editor Price gushes academically about minor entries in the Lovecraftian Derby, and it's never more evident than in this collection of Lin Carter's mythos tales. Carter was a supremely talented editor and a good heroic fantasy writer (I love his Throngor novels) but his mythos writing falls prey to juvenile adoration and extremely flimsy plotting. Price's attempts to defend Carter's over-categorization of the mythos merely exacerbates the silliness of most of Carter's work. Interesting for mythos completists, but newcomers should seek other books in this series that deal with multiple authors (highly recommended: "The Hastur Cycle" and "The Nyarlathotep Cycle").

Robert M. Price and Chaosium Books have scored big again with the latest entry in their growing "Call of Cthulhu Fiction" catalog which explores aspects of Lovecraftian fiction. Price introduces the whole and each entry in The Xothic Legend with his quite considerable and thorough literary, religious and Lovecraftian erudition and iconoclastic wit. Lin Carter's take on the Mythos in his Xothic Legend Tales is an hommage to, and a pastiche of, both Lovecraft and Col. James Churchward (of "The Lost Continent of Mu" fame). The stories are entertaining, sometimes reverential to their subject matter, and offer the classic Cthulhu Mythos frisson of long-expected terror. A good place for the beginning reader of Mythos Horror, and a must for anyone exploring the background and effoliation of the genre.

These are the "Big Kahuna's" of Supernatural Horror. A very well compiled selection of Cthulhu Mythos by Chaosium & Robert Price. Price's introductions to the short stories are educational and perhaps even a bit witty. His writing is even better.
A 'Must Have' for Weird Tale, Lovecraft, or any horror fan.

This book is a landmark: at long last we have a well-known and highly respected Christian theologian taking up for serious discussion the conclusions of several non-theological scholars about the non-historicity of the Jesus of the Gospels and Acts. Chief among these scholars has long been George A. Wells, whose first book on the subject was The Jesus of the Early Christians (1971). A half-dozen others have followed. In the last few years, Earl Doherty, a Canadian classical scholar, has pursued the subject with great energy on his very lively website, and this year in an impressive book, The Jesus Puzzle (2000). On the whole, the theological establishment has cold-shouldered, or more often, met such publications with silence rather than arguments. Hopefully Price's book will lead to a change of attitude. After all, theology, including the history of Christianity, is an essential ingredient in the history of civilization. Yet, unaccountably, Western historians have left the history of Christianity to their theological colleagues. It is significant that practically all Western general Encyclopedias have assigned the whole area of religion to theologians. The result is that the general public has got a rather biased picture of Christian origins. Price's book will shake them up. After a wide-ranging and always interesting argument he concludes as follows: "it seems to me that Jesus must be categorized with other legendary founder figures, including the Buddha, Krishna, and Lao-tzu. There may have been a real figure there, but there is simply no longer any way to being sure." Fair enough. But historians will not give up their search. After all, new manuscripts, providing new ways of looking at the field, may still turn up. Michael Wise's fascinating reinterpretation of the Qumran texts referring to the Teacher of Righteousness, in his recent book The First Messiah (1998), is a case in point.

I guess it all started with the pre millennium madness. More and more biblical scholars are following the footsteps of scholars who have attempted to find the actual person behind the gospel accounts.

"Deconstructing Jesus" isn't an easy read. Unless you have been diligently studying in this field you will find many references to authors you have never heard about. The field is rife with people studying this question.

Bottom line, as I understand it, is that the Jesus that contemporary Christianity follows is a multi-layered construction that has evolved over time to fit the needs of the current culture and political climate. The roots of this construction are all over the first century Middle East and various philosophies. From Cynic, to Gnostic, through Zealot, and everything in between has been woven into the picture that we get of "The Man From Nazareth" (or, was he a Nasserite or Nasorean?).

For the serious student of Christology or church history this book is an excellent criticism of all the current thinking in this area of scholarship. I doubt that the average pew-sitting Christian will be overjoyed with this book but the scholarship will, eventually, be the stuff of many homilies.

Will you find the historical Jesus in this book? No. But you will find an early Church struggling with a polyglot of beliefs attempting to blend them into a cohesive fabric of faith. Perhaps it is that dynamic that has kept "The Church" alive for two millennia. Mysticism and Gnostic thinking are on the rise again and "The Church" on the eve of another evolutionary move -- here's the first map of the territory ahead.

Robert M. Price's set of provocative ideas on the origins of Christianity Deconstructing Jesus (1-57392-758-9, $31.95) provides a focus on the historical Jesus, examining the meaning of contrasts between the religious figure and historical facts and offering new textual insights for Christian origins and interpretations. The works of other scholars are incorporated into an absorbing survey of Jesus' life and times.

For fans of Lovecraft? From what I've seen this has nothing to do with the Cthulhu Mythos. No Cthulhu, R'Lyeh, Nyarlathotep. I don't think you should have "psychic gumshoe" in horror stories. It sounds like something from the kid's section. If you want Mythos buy Lovecraft.

This is a great collection of stories. Recommended for not only fans of Carter and Lovecraft, But for people who want some good old fun action packed horror/adventure stories. I highly recommend this!!

Robert Price is a genius editor. Rather than having his eight writers created new stories of the late Lin Carter's hero in the exact same mold as the originator, he let them run loose with the character. The results are 8 marvelous adventures, each giving us
new and different approaches to Anton Zarnak' from action, to horro and even some comedy mixed-in. More anthologies should be this
fun.

Rainey delivers good one here. campbell also has a good story. i was mostt impressed by Spence, unknown to me. the rest o the stories are not so good, but not really bad either. i really like this fertility goddess granting humanity gifts, but demanding worship and sacrifice. ok, an obvious link to paganism. but that makes it realistic. the goat is the creature from the mythos i'm having least problems imagining.

"The Shub-Niggurath Cycle" is a veritable morass of pedestrian plotting, derivative imagry, and tepid writing. All the defects of Lovecraft worship are painfully evident: obsessive codifying of the Mythos, cosmic pretentions, dream sequences featuring weird geometric angles, silly names, and masses of writhing tentacles. Lin Carter's execrable "Dreams in the House of Weir" and his attached doggrel are the nadir of the anthology. Of course, Carter's work always has a way of tainting anything near at hand. The book, however, is redeemed by a single tale: "Harold's Blues" by Glen Singer. Singer's story is a sly and witty Faustian redux which intermingles a fictionalized version of the murky career of real-life, real dead bluesman Robert Johnson with the Cthulu Mythos. The dialect of the narrator is excellent in terms of its understated subtlety and consistency. Singer utilizes the Mythos as it should be used -- as a murky, wicked backdrop that overpowers the actions of genuine characters with lives of their own. There is an insidious, doomed atmosphere which is far more effective than somnambulating trudges through cyclopean, extra-terrestrial ruins or "weird doings" in the dank cottages of unsuspecting professors. "Harold's Blues", then, is nothing short of a pearl in the swine slop and by its strength alone, this anthology rates four stars.

Shub Niggurath, the black goat of the wood with a thousand young, is mearly hinted at in H.P. Lovecraft's fiction. Mentioning little more then the name and appellation, old Shubby is shrouded in mystery. Price has compliled here some of the works which have followed Lovecraft's scant clue to define Shub Niggurath. Price includes one of his own stories, a tale sexual decadence, perversion and madness in the name of Shub Niggurath which, of itself, makes the book worth reading.

that's right. subtle changes, a few details. this can be interesting for a pulp fan, but not much for us whp just like good stories. some stories were almost interesting, but were for different reasons hard to digest (like these supernatural investigators in old detective novel style). some of the stories really lacked suspence. ah, they come by the thousand. get the uzi. no, that's more of a script for an action movie. i like good pulp. this is not agood collection

I really like short stories. In fact, I absolutely love short stories. I love horror, I love fantasy, and there's a really good reason that every book I've ever reviewed has been an anthology collection of horror or fantasy short stories.

Sadly, 'Tales out of Innsmouth' was not a book that I thought that I would get into. I decided to give it a chance, but things didn't look good from the outset. I've played CoC for years, I've gobbled down every book on, by, or about Lovecraft that I could lay my hands on, I know most of the Old Ones on a first name basis, and quite frankly, the Deep Ones, Dagon's hideous children and the inhabitants of shadowed Innsmouth have never seemed to do to much for me.

Until now.

From editor Robert M. Price's masterful introductory essay "The One That Got Away", 'Tales out of Innsmouth' is just one pleasant surprise after another. Every tale and short story in the book is a unique and intriguing look at some facet of the Deep Ones - the whole book is an experience in redefining one of the best known critters in Lovecraft's universe.

The most intriguing part of the book, in my opinion, is John Glasby's reworking of Lovecraft's original notes for the story that would introduce the Deep One's to his mythos. Entitled "The Weird Shadow Over Innsmouth", this strange take on Lovecraft's vision shows what could have been, and is lots of fun for a faithful reader of Lovecraft's work who may feel like they've read it all.

Other stories, particularly Gregory Luce's cinematic "The Deep End", Scott David Aniolowski's unique take on "The Idol", Brian McNaughton's horrific "The Doom that Came to Innsmouth", and the hilarious "It Was The Day of the Deep One" by Peter H. Cannon, make this book well worth a look. Players and Keeprs alike who want to add a new dimension to their Call of Cthulhu games with more fleshed out Deep Ones should invest in this book, and even folks who just dig a good horror story will undoubtedly find a lot to love about this book. Lovecraft would be proud.

Tales Out of Innsmouth (New Stories of the Children of Dagon), is definitely a book worth adding to your library. Ever since Lovecraft started with his weird stories of cosmic evil, all things "Cthulhu" is now a genre unto itself (also check out "Cthulhu 2000"). In Tales, there are thirteen creepy stories in this edition, compiled and edited by the great Robert Price. My favorite was "The Doom That Came to Innsmouth" by Brian McNaughton. Some of my other favorites were "The Old Ones' Signs", by Pierre Comtois, and of course the "The Weird Shadow Over Innsmouth" that was Lovecraft's original tale rewritten (and pardon the pun, fleshed out), by John S. Glasby. All the stories are written in a fresh new voice with thrilling realism. A must must buy! Also check out the video "Dagon" made by the director of "Re-animator," Stuart Gordon. Ia! Ia!

If you're looking for a book about Rush the band, this is not for you. If you are looking for insights into the inspiration behind the lyrics, this book is a step in the right direction.

Carol Selby Price comes off as well-read, with a wide range of knowledge covering philosophy, religion, literature and pop culture. She definitely is a fan of the music of Rush, but especially the lyrics of Neal Peart. Don't expect a lot of coverage on the instrumental music here, this is strictly about the lyrics.

I found that the breakdown of theme categories and selection of titles worked from the standpoint that she covered from 2112 through Presto. The book works best when clearly staying with the topic of a single song, then using some comparisons from literarture, etc. If one were to merely listen to the songs, there would be a surface meaning, but this book helps dig deeper below the surface layer, peeling through the layers of allegory and metaphor to some core visions.
For example, while "Red Barchetta" appears to be a thumbing of the nose against the powers of a dystopic society, I never thought about the adventure merely being a dream by the fireside itself. Did he actually drive the care or simply remain with his uncle by the fireside?
I liked the link of Analog Kid, Digital Man and New World Man, especially the inner/outer versions of New World Man comparing both individuals as well as the regions New World, Old World and Third World.
Criticisms: There must have been a copyright issue with reprinting the lyrics, because one would need the album/disk package at hand to review the writing. While there are plenty of quotes from other sources, the Rush songs are merely paraphrased. I also would have liked to have the entire song broken down, instead of going off on a tangent to show comparisons with Kant, Plato, Nietzsche or Ayn Rand. At times the writers appeared to be showing off their knowledge and there was some definite narrative preachiness about our society. E.T. one long commercial for Reese's Pieces? What does that have to do with Rush?
Some songs are covered briefly, such as 2112, which was then recovered in The Trees. Some editorial tightening would have helped this book, but then again, at barely 150 pages, it was not that long a read.
I would recommend this book to Rush fans who are scholars and have read works by some of those in the bibliography.

The Prices have written a book that I, myself, have considered writing... namely, a book interpreting the lyrics of Neil Peart (drummer/lyricist for the band Rush). Peart's song lyrics have kept me reading and researching quite a bit over the years, in an on-going attempt to dig DEEPER into the meaning of his complex songs. Today I consider myself to be, like Peart himself, a self-educated intellectual. I owe much of my intellect to the musical group Rush.

Look at the other criticisms of this book - "Rush fans can interpret the songs on their own! They don't need a book to do it for them!" Well.... yes and no. If you want to continue believing that "The Body Electric" is merely a futuristic song/story about a robot, or that "Limelight" is only about being famous... this book isn't for you. But if you want to go DEEPER into the songs' meanings, perhaps you should check out "Mystic Rhythms: The Philosophical Vision of Rush." If fans can 'interpret the songs on their own,' then why have other fans often asked me, "What is that song ABOUT??" Not ALL fans are able to grasp the 'underlying themes' of the lyrics, and only scratch the surface in their interpretations. Nothing wrong with that; there's a lot of meaning there, too. But for those who want to look still further into the water...

Check out this book. The Prices' focus is on Philosophy and Human Psychology as it relates to the vision Peart has given us, the fans of his songs. Sometimes in the text, one gets the impression that the authors have "gone too far" - perhaps they've dug deeper than even Peart himself intended! But new insights into the songs will surely be gained from reading the book, even if only as a suplement to the reader's OWN lyrical intrepretation.

I enjoyed this book, and will hang onto it as a reference source.

Weather of not you like the music of Rush, the lyrics of Neil Peart stand on their own merit as works of genius which resonate with deep meaning and vivid pertinence. Neil's lyrics give voice to more serious and truly important issues and questions than are found in any other lyrics in the music industry in general. Neil Peart is a very meticulous person. There is very little he does or says that is without purpose. Meaningful structure is as equally prevalent in his lyrics as it is in his famously well-crafted drum parts. These structures as well as the content are categorized and examined in this wonderful book.

Carol Selby Price and Robert Price are obviously very knowledgeable about each of Neil's lyrics as well as the literature and philosophical concepts that have fed Neil's writing. Their vast knowledge of literature, ancient through modern, is used throughout this book to help explain in colorful detail the issues and images depicted in the lyrics.

The authors have put in a great deal of analysis and thought leading to an extremely poignant, interesting and insightful analysis of Neil's lyrics and the philosophies behind them. This book will help greatly deepen the reader's appreciation and understanding of the deep, thought provoking, and powerfully inspirational messages of Neil's works.

this colection contains one great story by arthur machen concerning an experiment run afoul. HPL has a great one too, about a mysterious family, where something goes very wrong. the other stories are really really bad. we're talking about stories where nothing happens. incredibly dull. it shocked me how uninteresting and boring they were.

A most interesting experiment. "The Dunwich Cycle" is a collection of tales that influenced and where inspired by the late H.P. Lovecraft's "The Dunwich Horror". Editor Robert Price certainly includes a wide variety of tales, some more compelling than others.

Among the real gems in this collection are "The Dunwich Horror" itself and the story that most influenced/inspired Lovecraft's tale, 'The Great God Pan". Compared to some of the more recent tales in the collection, the writing style and vocabulary might seem too overblown, slow moving or ancient, but it is from these beloved tales that so many others have been inspired.

Given the unevenness of most Mythos tales, this collection makes a nice addition to a Lovecraft library, having at least one story that will charm the reader.

This book has a collection of stories that were inspired by H.P. Lovecraft's Dunwich Horror, including that famous story. It's an interesting book and if you are an avid reader of Lovecraft or of the Cthulhu mythos, this book is a must have.

Bottom line: Comic book grading is THE most difficult component of the comics collecting business side of the equation. Subjective interpretation lends disparity between any 2 people's grades, but the more experience that you have, the better equiped that you are to make qualified decisions about a book's grade. This book was much-updated from its previous version, so is an improvement. Bashing the book for not giving a "Cliff-notes" version of how to wave a magic wand, and "poof!" get a grade is a poor position to take. Yes, the book needs work in terms of pictures of defects and corresponding adjustments. One should also keep in mind that there is a functional aspect of grading that allows for a given defect to be (somewhat) offset by a strong characteristic in another are (e.g. stress marks bring book to FN, but stunning colors and/or supple white pages might boost it back to VF-, as a potential example). Given that there is NOT a lot of documented information on this subject, this book is helpful as a reference ONLY, and should be used in conjunction with other references (ComicBase, Wizard, Overstreet Guide), to make a good determination of a grade. Certainly times are better now than they were, say, 10 years ago, when only pros in the business for years could make an accurate estimate. Be thankful for that. CGC info, by design, is not going to be released - it's a Trade Secret for their business model, and if they gave it all away, they would not be in business. Does Proctor and Gamble give away its recipe for its products, or DuPont? - of course not. The discerning investigative researcher uses multiple sources. One such source (if you had bothered to read the Overstreet 33rd Edition) is that Metropolis Comics helped CGC develop the standards that they use. Also, many of the MAJOR comic dealers contribute heavily to the Advisory Board for CGC, so if you look at the sources, you could glean more information as well. Stop whining, and start learning ! This book is a valuable tool to be used with the other resources available to comics collectors, but it is not the de facto "guide" for grading. There will never be such a guide, so get over it.

This 2nd edition is an improvement over the 1992 edition and bolsters the viewpoint that Overstreet standards must be recognized as the primary source for grading decisions. While this guide does not provide specific CGC guidelines - which CGC refuses to publish - there is an overview of CGC by CGC Primary Grader Steve Borock and there are several examples of CGC-graded comics in various grades pictured. This, of course, merely provides examples of CGC grading and does not address the issue of CGC's well-documented inconsistencies.

In this guide, you will find advertising by some of the largest retailers in the nation, several interesting articles with topics ranging from comics history to restoration to shipping comics. Each grade has a fairly comprehensive one-page description of necessary qualities inherent to the grade, along with a full checklist of 21 grading considerations like spine roll, cover creases and staples. The pages following are filled with clear and illustrative examples of covers of books fitting the grade, with appropriate annotation of defects.

While there is still room for improvement in future editions, such as addressing the topic of grade "qualifiers" - a defect impacting the grade of an otherwise NM comic, it is the premier guide to comic book grading and is a must-have for any serious collector or dealer.

If you sell on EBAY or just want to track the condition/current value of your personal collection, this is the quintisential book to have.Every major player in the world of comics bases their grading on this book.A wonderful guide with picture representation to ensure accurate grading of individual comics.From the beginners to the experts,a true comic collectors "Must Have!"

Although there were many black and white photos there were no 'high quality' color photos. I found the section on my part of the country, the midwest, painfully lacking. I have yet to positively identify any of my twenty or so arrowheads using this book.

I have enjoyed my copy of this book, finding it particularly helpful in typing points, though not as much so in valuing. In response to the kind reader from Mass., all the point hunters I know, myself included, only hunt sites that are already culturally & historically ruined (i.e. plowed fields), with express permission of the private landowner. We don't go looking for burial mounds,etc. With regards to points being a non-renewable resource, true. BUT, I know of several fields that have been hunted for easily 100 years, and still produce points with each plowing. Many sites were in use as camp or village sites for literally thousands of years. I respectfully suggest that the kind reader turn attention more to construction sites and new road projects when looking for where true historical sites are being desecrated and ignored. Often, these sites are "overlooked" to avoid having projects put on extended (read here, expensive years) hold while the site is thoroughly researched. Happy Hunting!

Great book! Many, many pictures from all regions including the NE. The best book I've found for a vast array of artifacts, many styles, examples etc. A great help for the novice collector! Many great ads for arrowhead sites on the web as well. Finally a visual guide to "see" actual pieces not just sketches!